The Shattering of Europe: almost every European nation is threatened by breakaway movements.

The Shattering of Europe: almost every European nation is threatened by breakaway movements.

Six days ago, the people of Spain’s most prosperous region, Catalonia, voted overwhelmingly for parties favouring the breaking away from Spanish rule. As a result, almost two out of three seats in the Catalan parliament are occupied by politicians who want an independence referendum.The parallels with the situation in Scotland, where Alex Salmond’s SNP has secured a referendum for 2014, are irresistible. And it is worth remembering that this is far more than an obscure local squabble. Spain has Europe’s fifth biggest economy, while Catalonia is by far its richest and most dynamic region. The biggest Catalan city, Barcelona, is not just one of the Mediterranean’s most enterprising metropolises — it is the EU’s fourth biggest city by GDP.

Though few people today seem to realise it, the future of the United Kingdom is in the balance. While the Catalans are still arguing about their referendum, the Scottish Nationalists have already arranged theirs for 2014. It is, in other words, perfectly plausible that in two years, Great Britain will no longer exist.

Across Europe, separatist movements are buoyant. Many, after toiling in obscurity for years, have profited from the collapse of the European economy, exploiting popular resentments at their governing elites. In the Basque Country, for example, separatist parties won 48 out of 75 seats in October’s parliamentary elections. In Italy, the separatist Lombard League, which demands greater autonomy for the industrial north, won a record 26 per cent of the vote in recent regional elections.

Belgium has been paralysed by ethnic tension for more than a decade, with Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons barely on speaking terms. Indeed, many experts believe the disintegration of Belgium is only a matter of time.

Even France — historically the most centralised country in Europe and famously intolerant of regional differences — has seen a surge in separatist sentiment. In Napoleon’s homeland of Corsica, support for independence has jumped threefold since 2004, and the Corsican nationalists came second in 2010’s regional elections.

Re: The Shattering of Europe: almost every European nation is threatened by breakaway movements.

Six days ago, the people of Spain’s most prosperous region, Catalonia, voted overwhelmingly for parties favouring the breaking away from Spanish rule. As a result, almost two out of three seats in the Catalan parliament are occupied by politicians who want an independence referendum.The parallels with the situation in Scotland, where Alex Salmond’s SNP has secured a referendum for 2014, are irresistible. And it is worth remembering that this is far more than an obscure local squabble. Spain has Europe’s fifth biggest economy, while Catalonia is by far its richest and most dynamic region. The biggest Catalan city, Barcelona, is not just one of the Mediterranean’s most enterprising metropolises — it is the EU’s fourth biggest city by GDP.

Though few people today seem to realise it, the future of the United Kingdom is in the balance. While the Catalans are still arguing about their referendum, the Scottish Nationalists have already arranged theirs for 2014. It is, in other words, perfectly plausible that in two years, Great Britain will no longer exist.

Across Europe, separatist movements are buoyant. Many, after toiling in obscurity for years, have profited from the collapse of the European economy, exploiting popular resentments at their governing elites. In the Basque Country, for example, separatist parties won 48 out of 75 seats in October’s parliamentary elections. In Italy, the separatist Lombard League, which demands greater autonomy for the industrial north, won a record 26 per cent of the vote in recent regional elections.

Belgium has been paralysed by ethnic tension for more than a decade, with Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons barely on speaking terms. Indeed, many experts believe the disintegration of Belgium is only a matter of time.

Even France — historically the most centralised country in Europe and famously intolerant of regional differences — has seen a surge in separatist sentiment. In Napoleon’s homeland of Corsica, support for independence has jumped threefold since 2004, and the Corsican nationalists came second in 2010’s regional elections.

add all the secessionist movements within the USA and the recent gains by the Quebec independence party in Canada, and you can see that this is a global phenomenon

IMHO, the age of the overreaching large bureaucratic centralzed government is ending.

We may see one more 'blow off top' as the large governments may attempt extreme and harsh measures to fight rebellions, but ultimately they will lose because they cannot fight that many, and most importantly, they will lose because they are bankrupt

Re: The Shattering of Europe: almost every European nation is threatened by breakaway movements.

Not over here. We're stable so far. Because we have almost no immigrants. I think we're one of the few remaining nation states. We have the Roma and the Turkish people but they're mostly scattered around.

Re: The Shattering of Europe: almost every European nation is threatened by breakaway movements.

Six days ago, the people of Spain’s most prosperous region, Catalonia, voted overwhelmingly for parties favouring the breaking away from Spanish rule. As a result, almost two out of three seats in the Catalan parliament are occupied by politicians who want an independence referendum.The parallels with the situation in Scotland, where Alex Salmond’s SNP has secured a referendum for 2014, are irresistible. And it is worth remembering that this is far more than an obscure local squabble. Spain has Europe’s fifth biggest economy, while Catalonia is by far its richest and most dynamic region. The biggest Catalan city, Barcelona, is not just one of the Mediterranean’s most enterprising metropolises — it is the EU’s fourth biggest city by GDP.

Though few people today seem to realise it, the future of the United Kingdom is in the balance. While the Catalans are still arguing about their referendum, the Scottish Nationalists have already arranged theirs for 2014. It is, in other words, perfectly plausible that in two years, Great Britain will no longer exist.

Across Europe, separatist movements are buoyant. Many, after toiling in obscurity for years, have profited from the collapse of the European economy, exploiting popular resentments at their governing elites. In the Basque Country, for example, separatist parties won 48 out of 75 seats in October’s parliamentary elections. In Italy, the separatist Lombard League, which demands greater autonomy for the industrial north, won a record 26 per cent of the vote in recent regional elections.

Belgium has been paralysed by ethnic tension for more than a decade, with Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons barely on speaking terms. Indeed, many experts believe the disintegration of Belgium is only a matter of time.

Even France — historically the most centralised country in Europe and famously intolerant of regional differences — has seen a surge in separatist sentiment. In Napoleon’s homeland of Corsica, support for independence has jumped threefold since 2004, and the Corsican nationalists came second in 2010’s regional elections.

add all the secessionist movements within the USA and the recent gains by the Quebec independence party in Canada, and you can see that this is a global phenomenon

IMHO, the age of the overreaching large bureaucratic centralzed government is ending.

We may see one more 'blow off top' as the large governments may attempt extreme and harsh measures to fight rebellions, but ultimately they will lose because they cannot fight that many, and most importantly, they will lose because they are bankrupt

This is similar to the end of the age of the great colonial powers 100 years ago

Just my opinion, as an old observer of political and historical trends

Quoting: IssueX

You're thinking is exactly the same as mine. People feel powerless to change anything when their communities are run by people hundreds of miles away who know nothing about them, plus of course the feeling of total alienation when your entire culture and history are flushed down the pan by the invasion of overpowering/barbaric 'cultures'.

A nation can survive its fools, but it cannot survive treachery from within - Cicero